Unai Emery was full of praise for his players and the Villa Park faithful after Aston Villa returned to winning ways with an impressive 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, Softfootball reports.
Aston Villa went into the fixture looking to bounce back after a woeful 4-1 defeat to Arsenal last midweek, a loss that effectively brought their 11-game winning streak in the league to an end. Emery was clearly pleased with the response from his side, highlighting the importance of togetherness between the team and supporters.
. Speaking to the press in comments shared via the club’s official X handle, the Villa boss expressed his delight at starting the year on a positive note following a difficult result last time out, He said:
So happy! Here in Villa Park we have our supporters who helped us really fantastically with their energy. They are being proud of everything that we are doing and how we’re facing the opponent with our supporters, trying to transmit their energy and connect with them.
They feed back with that energy and it’s really fantastic. We need this — this is key because we perform together.
The Spaniard also reflected on the significance of the result in the context of recent setbacks, both this season and last, stressing how important it was to recover momentum quickly, He added:
After the defeat we had in London against Arsenal, again to recover good form is really fantastic. The position on the table is really fantastic as well. I remember last year around Christmas we had defeats too, even here at home. Today Nottingham Forest were at the bottom but with a new coach, trying to recover their structure, so we needed to respect them a lot.
Asked how his side managed to secure all three points, Emery focused on the discipline and approach shown in the first half, acknowledging the challenge posed by Forest. He stated:
I just want to talk about the first half. Another game opened up in the second half. They were defending very well and competing very well. They have a lot of passion.
Villa’s early breakthrough proved crucial, allowing them to settle into the contest and impose themselves, though Emery admitted there were moments of concern after the break. He said:
After we scored the first goal of course it was easier. But in the second half, when we scored the second goal, we relaxed a little bit and they scored one. Then again we had to recover our strong structure, respect them and continue with our game plan like we did. Of course we scored the third goal, and after that I think we managed the match better.
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The win sees Aston Villa restore confidence and rhythm after their unbeaten league run came to an abrupt end against Arsenal, with Emery clearly satisfied by the character his side showed in response. With momentum regained and Villa Park once again buzzing, the Villa boss will be hoping this result marks the start of another strong run as the season progresses.
